Frozen Fruit Mixed Berry Jam

Hi this recipe is from Waitrose and goes great with my wholemeal scones or just on toast or in muffins.

If you are someone who is sceptical about making their own jam, maybe you've been put off thinking it's really complicated? Then this is the recipe for you as it only takes 20mins max and requires only 3 ingredients and not one of them is fancy jam sugar! You don't even need a special thermometer either.

I've tried in the past to make jam and it hasn't really worked to be honest, it set way too hard and whenever it was eaten, had to be warmed up first in the microwave. Yet, whilst I had been cooking it, it had remained really runny. Anyway, with this recipe all I have to say is the timings may vary for you and this is where I think I've been caught out in the past - overcooking in step one, not realising my jam had already gone into the 'hard' boiling stage, in which I over cook it: 

Once the fruit is defrosted and all the sugar dissolved, turn up the heat (if needed) to get the jam boiling 'hard' (super bubbly), then let it do this for 5 mins only, it doesn't matter if your jam only ends up on the hob for 10 mins, don't worry! After 5 mins, check it with the saucer (I used a ramekin dish) in the freezer and then again every 2 mins if it still isn't ready / set. Then, have faith that it will be okay because at this point, it will not seem very thick at all in your saucepan, but if it sets on the ramekin, then just remove from the heat and leave it be.

And even after all that, if you end up with not-jam, don't worry and try again another time. Maybe next Christmas. But, I'll keep my fingers crossed that you don't get too solid jam!

Hazel :)

Dietary Info:

-Gluten Free

-Dairy Free

-No Nuts

-Vegan

-Vegetarian

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• Takes: 20 mins
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• Ingredients: 
• -300g frozen British summer fruits {I used Tesco's 'Perfectly Imperfect Mixed Frozen Berries' and some frozen cherries too. The fruit can be whatever you like, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, even pineapple! Whatever frozen fruit you have, you can use it.}
• -300g granulated sugar
• -3 tbsp lemon juice
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• Method:

• 1: Put the fruit in a large saucepan, add the sugar and lemon juice, then heat gently until the sugar dissolves and the fruit has defrosted, about 10-15 minutes. {I don't know if I had my heat too high or what, but this was much quicker for me, about 5-7 mins.} Put a saucer into the freezer.2: Boil the jam hard for 5 minutes, {This means it needs to be bubbling lots.} then take the cold saucer out of the freezer and drop a little jam onto it. Allow to cool for a few seconds, then push the jam with your finger. If it wrinkles, it’s ready. If not, boil for another minute and try again until it does wrinkle. Allow the jam to settle for 10 minutes, then put into a sterilised jar to store for up to 6 months, or let it set and then chill and use within a couple of weeks.

While you're here...

I have a Pinterest for all my recipes, where you can save them to boards for the future and categorise them into different types of recipe e.g Sunday Dinners, picnic ideas etc. My account is @hazellikestocook, or find the link below. Also, I have a whole blog post explaining this in more detail here and https://hazelscookingandbakingblog.blogspot.com/2021/02/pinterest.html. 

https://pin.it/5xDvARk - my profile

This recipe:

https://pin.it/1WGOWXQ